Hi all,
I'm looking for some thoughts to see if this makes sense. Initially our idea of a dream trip was to include Rome and Salerno/Amalfi/Capri area but the budget and the timeline won't allow for the this time around so now we're considering this shortened, more budget friendly itinerary instead. We have decided we will do Rome + South on a later trip. "We" are myself, 30, and my Mom and favourite travel buddy, who's 60th birthday is in March. She mentioned several years ago how her dream would be to go to Italy for her 60th and well, we weren't sure it would be possible anymore but we are painfully aware of how short life is, 60 only happens once etc..so we are pretty set on making it happen, even if it's a different trip than we had initially planned on.
Given that, planning time is short (seems to be a trend for me lately) so I need your help please.
A few things to note:
- I've been to Florence before, Mom has not
- We're not huge art or museum lovers
- We're most interested in memorable experiences, food, exploring new cities
- We've previously travelled slow (10 days in London + 2 day trips) and fast (8 days in Dublin/Galway/Belfast) and thoroughly enjoyed both experiences because we set appropriate expectations beforehand
- We are budget conscious travellers in terms of hotels and restaurant choices, but often splurge on memorable experiences (tours, classes, excursions etc).
With all that said, here's the new plan (tentatively mid March) flying into Venice and out of Milan:
- **4 nights Venice including 1 day for Murano/Burano/Torcello
- 4 nights Florence, including minimum 1 day trip (maybe 2?) to Tuscan hill town, and one afternoon for a 3hr cooking class
- 2 nights Bologna, including 1 day for food tour of parmigiano reggiano factory and possibly parma ham, balsamic vinegar etc. Food will be a big part of these days
- 1 night (last night) in Milan, primarily for the flight home, but also to see the Duomo and ideally the Last Supper (although I know that tickets are tough)**
How does this sound? We're trying to avoid moving around excessively while also seeing several places. We've found that we do well when we combine a sort of "go, go, go" pace with some opportunities to soak it all in as well. We will not have a car so everything will be by train and/or bus. Typically jet lag hasn't been much of an issue for us either. Finally, we have learned that our preferences are different than perhaps the majority, and so what may be considered a terrible idea by many here is actually a good fit for us (latest example was the Cliffs of Moher + Aran Islands day trip from Galway - it was perfect for us but ill advised).
I hope I've given enough background info for any and all advice on putting this together quickly, or if there's a better option given our preferences.
Thanks so much!
PQ